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As a celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Denmark, DIPD and KVINFO will host an international conference on women in politics. The celebration will be an opportunity to (once again) engage our partners from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America in looking critically at the so-called “Danish Approach”, and examine what the model looks like from other places in the world, identify what the current challenges for women in politics globally are, and how to respond to future challenges.

DIPDs Multiparty Democracy Programme celebrates its three year anniversary in May 2015 and sets a strong course for the years ahead with the signing of a three year grant from the European Union and with the visit of a Multiparty Youth Delegation to Denmark in June.

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When the first multi party dialogue conference was held in Yangon focusing on the “Role of Political Parties in Democratic Transitions” it was for many political party leaders the first opportunity to shake hands for many years and the first opportunity to discuss joint challenges and visions for the political transition.

Since then the Myanmar Multiparty Democracy Programme, through consultation with the political parties and related actors such as the Union Election Commission, has harnessed the programme focusing on both political party dialogues and capacity development of political parties. The political party resource centre now operates from the premises close to Sule Pagoda and multiparty dialogues and technical briefing sessions are held regularly both in Yangon and in the regions.

EU provides grant to DIPDs programme

Following an independent EU appraisal mission to Myanmar in 2014 which assessed DIPDs work in Myanmar, DIPD has been invited to form part of a larger EU support programme to the electoral process in Myanmar called STEP – Democracy. This EU electoral and democracy support programme is unique in that it provides support to all key stakeholders in the electoral process: the Union Election Commission, the political parties, the media and the civil society. The focus is to assist in establishing enabling conditions for a free and fair electoral process and strengthening democracy by providing technical support to the key actors so that they can better fulfil their key democratic functions. For DIPD the focus is on assisting the political parties and their relations to the citizens, with the UEC, with media etc.

Photo: Bjørn Førde signs the grant contract

Multi-party Youth Delegation to Denmark

In the same vein DIPD has invited a multi-party youth delegation from Myanmar on a two weeks study-tour to Denmark in June 2015, which will comprise introduction to Danish Youth Parties, participation in the DIPD/KVINFO Conference “100 Years of Women in Politics” in connection with the constitutional celebrations in Denmark and not least opportunity to see first hand the electoral campaigns in Denmark. This is very relevant as Myanmar will hold national elections in November 2015.

Photo: Pre-briefing of the youth delegation prior to the study visit to DK

Social Democratic party leader Helle Thorning Schmidt was elected Prime Minister on 15 September 2011, when her party together with the seats won by the Social Liberal Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Red-Green Alliance captured a majority of seats in the parliamentary elections. As the largest party, the leader of the Social Democrats naturally took the post of Prime Minister in the coalition government made up of the Social Democrats, the Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People’s Party. A three-party coalition which later changed into a two-party coalition, when the Socialist People’s Party pulled out following internal disagreements in the party about the political course.

The decision to call for elections on the date of 18 June is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. Since the rule is that an election must take place no later than 4 years after the last election, 14 September was the latest possible date. But the recent polls indicate that the party of the Prime Minister is better right now than it has been in almost four years; also the recent assessments from the independent Council of Economic Advisers indicate that Denmark is finally out of the crises and recovering pretty well. The Prime Minister probably hopes that this will prove to be in her favor.

Candidates will now have 22 days to campaign in their constituencies, and already now – just a few hours after the announcement – the portraits of the candidates are visible in the streets of Copenhagen, hanging high up in the light masts as the tradition is. Starting today radio and television will spend a major part of their airtime on debates between the 9 political parties contesting. The 8 of the 9 parties are those presently represented in Parliament. Number 9 is a new party called “The Alternative” – founded by a former Minister of Culture from the Social Liberal party, who is still a member of Parliament.

Our vision

The vision of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy is to contribute to the development of well-functioning democratic political parties, multi-party systems and other institutions as central stakeholders in the democratic culture of selected developing countries.